Fortune Favors
by F-14 Tomcat Lover
Summary: When Orimura Ichika was announced as the only male to pilot an IS, no one expected two others to suddenly appear. In truth, there were SUPPOSED to be no other boy. Yet two more appear out of happenstance in life. One by a freak, but preventable accident. The other by simple chance. Both will now attend IS Academy and join in the fun with Ichika. Even if one is a freshman again.


_**Fortune Favors**_

 _ **Prologue**_

 _ **Cutting the Deck**_

 **XXXX**

 **A small town in California**

 **February 12th, 2050**

"Damn I'm freezing my ass off," a freshman high schooler muttered as he trudged through snow. "How grandpa always wished for this I'll never know. Then again, those were some really bad years with fire."

The young teen was done with his probation for the day. He growled mentally as he hadn't done anything. Unfortunately for him, the one who did was able to avoid guilt and get him into trouble.

"Damn rich, pansy SONAVABITCH!" he barely dodged as a container truck was cut off by a car that the young teen recognized.

Unfortunately, the truck driver was unable to regain control and smashed into a nearby building. An electric pole snapped and fell over, crushing another car and trapping the occupants. Other vehicles also collided as the snow and ice reduced any hope of evading what happened.

The young teen cursed as he dodged cars, only to find himself colliding with a thrown crate from the back of the trailer truck. The crate, damaged, broke as the boy tumbled into and crashed head first into its contents. Then another car clipped the crate, tumbling it over and over with the young boy and the contents bouncing around. As the boy grabbed onto anything to keep his feet beneath him and the contents off him, a bright light flashed within the crate.

 **XXXX**

 **German Alps**

 **February 16th, 2050**

A teenage boy of 15 years entered the study of the mansion. The boy was well dressed, as befitting the fact that he was meeting with the master of the house. It is the first time the boy had ever been inside the home. He was well aware he was loathed and unwanted. But as the man before him finished his paperwork for the day and the servant departed, the pen came to rest as the very image of German aristocracy.

A tall man with with strong shoulders. His red hair was neatly cut and combed to the right with a part on the left. His German Goatee was well groomed and cared for. His prussian blue eyes seemed to be another trait that made him appear as a stereotypical German nobleman.

Except…

The eyes shown with light as the man rose to his feet, gently pushing his chair back.

"Let me have a look," he was obviously trying not to rush over. But once over, the light in those eyes shone with pride as he beheld the boy before him. "Yes, yes," he muttered as the boy turned, allowing himself to be viewed from all angles. "Tall and strong, honest and true," the man suddenly said as he dropped all traces of nobility and pulled the boy to him, "Anhalt! My son!" the tears came unabashed and the stunned boy could only find himself returning the hug as tears came to his own eyes.

"Father," the boy managed through a choked voice.

For father and son, it was the first time they had been together.

Anhalt Riess Bäcker was born to a woman of much lower birth than the boy's father. She was a simple baker's daughter and had learned the trade. He had stepped in one day for a bite to eat and was immediately entranced by her beauty.

She wasn't what one would call beautiful by her figure or face. Quite the contrary, she had been rather plain. Her face was easily forgotten or lost in a crowd. Her body was simply average. Her copper colored hair was something that did stand out about her. The same with her eyes. Those same pine green eyes that Anhalt has.

Leaning back, the nobleman looked into those eyes. Eyes as honest and pure as her own. They were currently red and shone with tears, but joy, pure and unadulterated joy could be seen within them. As with the mother, the son looked too honest and kind for his own good.

"Anhalt… My son…" he repeated, gently stroking the boy's face with his right hand. He wished he could have seen it all. The mother growing at her belly. The sign of the boy becoming within her. Those last critical hours and moments, just before she would give birth to him and he would take his first breath of air, crying as all newborns do at that moment where they are now alive amongst the world itself. To see him grow. First steps. First words. To hold him after the first nightmare. To see him off to his first day of school.

So many firsts…

And he never saw a single one.

His family called the mother a 'witch.' Because she had green eyes and red hair. He was already married and they thought she was trying something. Trying to get a bit of wealth she was not born too.

She never did.

It was he who started it all.

It was _him_ who _approached_ her. It was _him_ who _spoke_ to her first. It was _him_ who _courted_ her. It was _him_ who had _fallen_ in love. It was _him_ that had _broached_ the subject. It was _him_ who _fathered_ his son now before him. It was _him_ who _swore_ to give up _everything_ for them.

But, in the end, it was _her_ that _told_ him _not_ to.

He had only two children.

The boy before him. Whom he knew only through what a mutual friend wrote to him. This boy, so much like his mother. A baker in the making himself. Young and innocent.

If his mother had been a witch, then so be it. He would admit to have been gladly bewitched by such a woman as her. For unlike his wife, she was true and honest. Kind and gently. Loving and caring. She would listen to him and aid him as a wife should. In turn, he listened to her and aided her as a husband should.

No such relationship existed between himself and his wife.

The only good thing she had given him was his daughter.

Yes. They had actually five children between them. Two boys and three girls. Of them all, the youngest was truest to her feelings and sought out her own place in the world.

The two boys, now men, though he used the term loosely, were hardly ones to follow in his footsteps. The two were skillful at getting out of trouble. They were deceitful and thought themselves better than anyone but their own class.

And even then they were a handful at the best of times and not in a good way either.

He had sent them to military schools and academies, arranged for them to serve in the Bundeswehr. Yet they didn't conform or learn. The number of demerits told a story. His old first sergeant from his own days in the Heer told him that it had to be mother's fault.

Something very true as she taught them in deviation from what it meant to be a proper German noble.

The two were trying, with ' _trying'_ being the keyword, to be 'good' businessmen. Using what their mother had taught them. They did as told and had increased the family fortune.

If not for his own actions, the family would have been broken in name and finance.

He only thought of the other two girls as little more than being _Gold Diggers_ as the expression went.

The two were classic examples of many terms. They were born to be good ladies of high standing. Instead, they were both very much akin to the stepsisters in the tale of _**Aschenputtel**_. So beautiful, yet they thought more of themselves. More than they could.

He would always smile to how Orimura Chifuyu had taught them their place. As well as the time the American President taught them some humility. Something they still had to learn. They had sworn revenge and foolishly in hearing distance of himself and the President.

The two were still blacklisted from state affairs.

But his one true daughter. Ah! How good she is!

She had chosen to rebel against her mother. She learned of becoming a noblewoman on her own. She learned business and politics on her own. She was brilliant girl, driven and dutiful.

Yet, she went even further and left for Japan after attaining high scores to attend the IS Academy and become an Infinite Stratos pilot.

Her mother promptly disowned her three years ago.

But he… No, quite the opposite. He had been able to catch her as she was about leave. He was nearly bursting with pride, but he held his seams well. Her face upon hearing how he thought of her, as his one true daughter and that he intended to make her his heir, not only because she was more skilled and determines than her siblings, quite the opposite, she was lacking in both skill and talent and made up for both with hard learning and determination. When she smiled, asking him if he honestly meant it, he told her it was true. That his only regret was that he clearly had not made himself more available to her and helped her to grow.

That she did so well alone, warmed his heart and he hoped, that when she returned whether successful or not, that she would turn to him for help and let him teach her a few things that she had yet to learn.

When she hugged and then kissed him on the cheek, calling him father as she departed… Waving. He could swear she looked like her grandmother.

Now there was a story of arranged marriages being happy and loving. Rare as it was, it was something he and his own siblings had grown up in.

Unlike others within the extended family.

Yet every family has a period where only strife can be found in it.

But he had found plenty of happiness in a baker and she had given him his second child.

And just to be mischievous, he decided, she had given him a boy with a unique and, until recently, unheard of talent for a male.

"Anhalt," he spoke as he guided the boy to the fireplace. Two tumblers already sat. Next to them was a simple drink. He had discovered it in his youth while in the United States of America. He had become lost and found this one area of its western large state, that home to Hollywood and a valley that put all of France to shame with its wine. It is called the Apple Region. It used to be just a small apple farm once. Located a few hours outside the provincial capital, the Apple Region covered a large area and was famed for its apple products. Indeed, the apple whiskey he now poured for the both of them was like the finest liquor he had ever had. Non-alcholic, its taste was as strong as whiskey and according to legend had been an accident by someone who wasn't even a farmer!

"This is called Frontier Apple Whiskey," he recapped the bottle and picked up a tumbler, handing it to his son as he picked the other up for himself and both seated by the fireplace. "Like the warmth of the fire before us, you will feel warm within," indicating to take careful sips to at first get used to it, Anhalt found that it had quite the kick even then, "To date I have yet to master a little more than a few sips at a time."

Anhalt's cough was all that was needed for him to say he understood.

With a smile and a few sips, Anhalt listened to what his father had called him for.

"I regret Anhalt, my son, that I would not be able to go with you," the nobleman felt his age. He was hardly young. Why the first two he fathered were already entering high school when he met Anhalt's mother. His own hair, he was fortune enough, was only now starting to become streaked with white. In some lights, it gave him a tiger's appearance. It was so sad that he would not be able to accompany his son. But that was life, as painful as it were. He planned though, to be there always.

"The IS Academy has your older sister," Anhalt blinked at hearing that. "She is a senior. You need not worry. She is, in fact, quite eager to meet her one true brother. Already she has agreed to split the estate I will leave behind when I pass with you," seeing the boy's look, the nobleman gave a gentle laugh, "Do not worry Anhalt. My time is hardly yet. Short of disease or an assassin, I will not leave you both alone yet. Some day, yes. But by then you both will have children of your own and I will be spending the rest of my days as best as I can at enjoying every moment with them. During which time, we will make plenty of memories to share. Times my son, where we will be father and son not in this study, under this roof by this fire," indicating the room and fireplace before making a wide motion with his arms, "For it will be the world that knows us as father and son. Along with your sister, we will be a family for the first time and we will have naught but joy and happiness to fill our days."

"A dream come true," Anhalt spoke softly, that if it weren't for the fact the two of them were alone and in such quiet solitude, he might have missed it.

"Aye. A dream come true for all four of us," he tipped his glass to a tumbler by the picture of…

"Mother," Anhalt breathed out softly, eyes glistening as he fought back not to cry.

"Tears are a strength my son," Anhalt saw his father pass him the decanter, "Pour her a drink. Let us share this moment together."

 **XXXX**

 **Edwards Air Force Base, CA, USA**

 **March 9th, 2050**

"Oh sh-" Thomas Jones started before he opened up on the incoming missiles.

The missiles were destroyed in a hail of accurate machine gun fire. Jonesy, as he was better known, defeated the worst of the missiles before flying low, using terrain to dispose of the rest. Only one missile doggedly pursued him after that. It was recently arrived from Vanderbilt Air Force Base. As it closed in, Jonesy switched from machine guns to automatic shotguns.

"Persistent little bastard!" a hail of buckshot and the missile was exploded.

The pursing IS pilots then appeared through the smoke, but Jonesy was ready. In fact, he had already been expecting them. So he had decided to go through the smoke and attack either from the rear or whoever was bringing up the rear.

As luck would have it, the blue haired teen exploded from the smoke to catch the flight lead off guard.

"What the?!" her flight had only just begun to enter the smoke, which meant that Jonesy had entered it before the blast and shrapnel had ended.

"Got you Merlin Lead!" Jonesy crashed into the woman and fired both of his shotguns point blank. Merlin Lead's shields hit zero and she's forced to retire from the exercise any further.

"He got Gina!" Merlin Six shouted as she pursued the male.

"Oh crap!" Jonesy shouted as Six decided to missile spam on him.

Back at the base itself, within the control room for the exercise, Orimura Chifuyu watched the young teen begin to fight off the missile barrage, taking advantage of the local terrain and his ability to maneuver as only a human could. Next to her stood Anaheim Electronics President, Adam Yang.

The bispecticule President Yang pushed up his glasses as his Chinese features changed as he read the data. It was still shocking to him, even now, a month later, that one of his company's unfinished prototype IS bodies fell on young Thomas Jones and reacted to the boy. Not only that, it immediately allowed him to use it, even in an incomplete state, to assist local authorities with the tragic, but completely preventable accident that had dumped his company's product out of the back of one their trucks.

Seeing Merlin 4 and Merlin 7 go down, shields depleted, as he landed on Merlin 6's back and forced her into the ground below, flipping off and blasting her with a hail of buckshot from both weapons before he was forced to go into cover to avoid Merlin 3 and 4 while Merlin 10 tried to circle around and get him from another angle.

"Only three left," the President of the United States of America noted from behind President Yang and Chifuyu. "Even holding back, he's been able to best them, if only barely."

The man was a contradiction in the modern world. Many leaders of the Western world had become women seemingly overnight. Yet, he was a man that had achieved the ability to stay in office, first in Congress and now as POTUS.

Glancing at the POTUS, Chifuyu agreed, "Had they been going all out, he would have been bested a while ago. This is also a test of his new IS as much as it is for him."

Well… Mostly agreed.

"The new IS," President Yang began for the POTUS and Chifuyu, "is almost finally tuned. Best of all, it is able to use the technology we hoped it would. We are looking at the world's first 3.5 Generation Infinite Stratos."

Chifuyu agreed to the generation status. Calling it 3.5 was a good move. She already figured that Tabane had created a 4th Generation IS for Houki. She just needed data from her sister to finish it. That should take about four or five months, give or take. That woman…

Chifuyu barely understood her childhood friend anymore at the best of times.

"Included in the entire package, of course," and Chifuyu could only think as Yang continued…

' _Here it comes,'_ not realizing the POTUS was the same, but was still excited nonetheless.

… "Anaheim Electronics very own IS Core!"

And Yang had every reason to be proud.

While only 30 AE Cores had been developed, due to cost, rarity resources, and complexity, they were nonetheless up to Tabane's standards. The AE manufactured IS Cores were a little larger than Tabane's own, but they did the job well. Officially of course, Jonesy had a Tabane Original IS Core in his machine. Plus there were _only_ the Original 647 IS cores in existence.

The Americans, as a show of friendship, had actually lent out four of their IS Cores.

One had gone to England where it was installed secretly into the Blue Tears IS.

The second had gone to Germany who had put it into the machine for their male IS pilot, Anhalt Riess Bäcker.

The last two had gone to Israel.

The first was to be put into the Silver Gospel, but the decision to use an Original had been made. Instead, it was going into a joint German-American-British-Israeli (GABI or Gabby) project she had little idea about other than that the Americans thought it important enough to give up one of their own domestic IS Cores for. Even the pilot wasn't American, a German-Israeli girl. As well as a lot of the systems weren't American, but they were involved in development at their Groom Air Force Base, better known as Area 51.

The last lent out of IS Core went into the Israeli made Nammer. It was a collaborative effort between the IAI and AE to develop another 3.5 Generation machine. An update to the existing Kfir in Israeli use. The Kfir was named for the famed Israeli fighter jet. The Nammer happened to be an update of the same aircraft, but the plane was never sold and only had a single prototype produced.

' _Now they do have an update,'_ Chifuyu thought.

Then again, the area around Israeli was still hotly contested. Various powers had made sure of that for the next 50 years. Of course, the local male population had exploded at the thought of female IS pilots and no male IS pilots. Naturally, they were up in arms about that. Literally.

They were armed to the teeth and everyone just ignored IS units that ended up in combat against this new wave of jihadism.

"Now what _is_ worth noting is that, like its namesake, Jonesy's IS is _not_ a speed machine," Yang continued on after speaking about various facts and tidbits that were otherwise boring to hear, again. "The Thunderbolt is a heavy machine that brings enough firepower to simply overwhelm its opponent. Though, I wouldn't want it to land on me either."

"Even then," Chifuyu closed her eyes as she crossed her arms, "The power and strength of the machine is unmatched currently. While we suspect that there are a few machines to counter it in those regards, it is still extremely fast and agile for its heavy armor and weapons."

"Indeed," the POTUS agreed.

" _THUNDER SHOCKER!"_ Jonesy suddenly shouted as he suddenly threw out an electrical burst of energy at Merlin 3, shocking the woman and dropping her shields dangerously. Dangerously enough that Jonesy shoulder checked her, nearly depleting her shields as Merlin 4 suddenly found her path blocked by Merlin 3.

"Naturally, the name comes from its electrical attacks, but it's heavy firepower and armor did lend to its designation as A-10 Thunderbolt," Yang of course chuckled there, "Then again, the A-10 is shorted for AE-10 or Anaheim Electronic Model 10."

"Will it be able to compete with the German unit?" POTUS suddenly inquired.

"The Rotmilan?" Yang looked to be in thought as he went over what he knew in his head. "In the end, pilot will be the key issue. Even the best pilot can push a machine to hard or take from it, hidden ability or use it to simply outdo the other machine."

"They're both 3.5 Generation, are they not," Chifuyu stated, rather than asked.

With sigh, Yang admitted, "Yes. Both machines are 3.5 Generation, but Thunderbolt here is the first of its kind in the field."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Chifuyu knew the truth, "The Rotmilan has yet to be finished and pilot calibration started," she turned to Yang, just as Merlin 10 found out why the Thunderbolt was called the A-10 Warthog as well. With the two gatling cannons firing away in the background, Chifuyu continued, "The 'Red Kite' has yet to even be armed as well. All of its equipment is still in being finished and perfected. So it won't likely be of use to the pilot until after he arrives in Japan."

"I suspect our pilot will be joining you in Japan about the second week of April to the first week of May," the POTUS stated as he watched the boy begin to head back with Merlin 10. Both were chatting happily and going over what could have been done and shouldn't have been done. "Though I suspect April to be the target month."

Yang couldn't help himself and had a little laugh at Jonesy's cost, "Poor kid is going to be a Freshman all over again."

"Still," Chifuyu looked on as the group of IS pilots flew in, back to base, "He has surprisingly good instincts and skills." The data she read would astound even Tabane. The young boy showed remarkable situational awareness and seemed to carry an innate understanding of how to move in the three dimensional space created by aerial combat. He appeared to much rather prefer having both feet on the ground and something between him and the other IS pilot. Still, Chifuyu could only praise his abilities, "This boy is very gifted and knows better than just to pull the trigger and spray until he hits." She noted a near strike while he was aiming, which lead to her bringing up his faults as well, "But on the other hand, he often waits too long and stays too far out of shelter too often and long. He also has a notable tendency to refuse to close and use a melee weapon despite having three different kinds. Coupled that he has issues, once on the ground, to pay attention to enemies jetting above him."

"That's where the IS Academy and you come in, Miss Orimura," the POTUS stated to the woman who nodded.

The blue haired, red eyed male's picture was up. Amazingly enough, he had been a golden blond with blue eyes previously. It was suspected the incomplete nature of his IS had been responsible for the hair and eye color change. The same had happened to Chifuyu's friend and fellow teacher, Yamada Maya. Though that had been an electrical issue, ironically. It was something still being looked into since many pilots had experienced such a thing.

But for now.

She had paperwork to file with the IS Academy.

 **XXXX**

I was getting tired of genius and crazy male IS pilots showing up. So I cooked up this little deal literally in a single night. Took me only about 5 hours to make it. From start to finish.

Finished the fine tuning and error corrections now. It was late last night and I had to go to bed because of work in the morning. Otherwise, I would have been _completely_ done in one night.

Here we get two boys. Now, some are wondering why two or whoopee two boys. Well mister and missus antsy pants/skirt. If you will wait a moment, I'll tell you.

The idea is to keep the setup of Charles Dunois appearing. That 'Charles' will be rooming with Ichika. So the poor boy is _**still**_ rooming with Houki. Then Charles Dunois. After that… There is _some_ thought to a fourth boy appearing, but not really on my radar at this time.

Anhalt, as you noticed, will have a similar, but very different history than Charlotte Dunois. As such, they will not really connect. They will know the life of being raised by single mothers, but that will be it. He will also have difficulty in interacting with Laura, at least at first. Then again, so did everyone else.

Thomas or Jonesy as he likes to be called, is different. Mostly normal kid walking home the day it happened for him. Now he's getting crash courses (literally too) in how to be an IS pilot. He'll be more average between the two. His major attribute will be analytical. How he arrives at it, he will rarely explain. But when he sees, will tell him much.

That all said. Let's get this posted!


End file.
